Josie Huang

Correspondent

Josie Huang covers housing and changing neighborhoods for KPCC. She last reported for and co-hosted the evening news show for the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Prior to radio, she wrote for dailies in Maine and Massachusetts. Assignments have taken her to Central America’s largest dump, a coastal Mississippi town recovering from Hurricane Katrina and the US-Canada border, which American seniors were crossing to buy cheaper prescription drugs. She grew up in Maryland and Taiwan.

Stories by Josie Huang

Measure S is rooted in a disagreement over the impact of new housing on L.A. rents. Supporters say luxury developments make housing more expensive, and they want to stop construction. Opponents point to the city's housing shortage, arguing any construction adds to supply.

The Yes on Measure S campaign sent LA residents mailers last week that were designed to look like eviction notices from the sheriff's department. The county says the mailers are deceptive, but Measure S organizers say they stand by the mailers.

A new economic report shows that L.A. County has regained all of the jobs it lost during the Great Recession, but most of those jobs are in the food services industry, which pays about $20,000 per year.

In L.A.'s hot rental market, some landlords are offering cash to tenants if they agree to move out. That clears the way for richer tenants who will pay higher rents. The city wants renters to know they can refuse the money and stay put.

If passed, construction developments that exceed LA's current zoning rules would be banned for 2 years. Supporters say it would stop developers from ramming construction into already-packed parts of the city. Opponents say a ban would mean less housing supply and higher rents.

Put a small down payment on a house, and you're usually required to purchase mortgage insurance, which typically costs hundreds of dollars per month. An Obama plan to discount that insurance for FHA loans has been scrapped by the Trump Administration.